Ep 153 of Within the Trenches features Todd Sparrow, Director at Lawrenceburg 9-1-1 in Kentucky. In this episode Todd reflects on 35 years of public safety service, calls that have stuck with him, the Kentucky Emergency Services Conference and more. For more information on the conference please see the links below.

As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show please send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Ep 152 is an extension of the podcast called Imagine Listening. This episode features the stories of the #IAM911 movement. It also features a former police officer who tells his story of a burglary call he went out to that resulted in an officer involved shooting. This is an episode you do not want to miss.

Make sure to check out the links below and as always if you have any comments, questions, or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Today, August 24 2017 marks the one year anniversary of when I started the #IAM911 movement. In this episode we will take a look back at why I started it, the explosion, media coverage and the future of the movement. It has been one hell of a year and I thank all of you for the support. I may have started this but it is because of the entire Thin Gold Line that made it a global success.

If you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Ep 151 features Brianna, Benton County Emergency Communications out of Arkansas & Rob McMullen, director of Vigo County out of Indiana & NENA President. This episode begins with my first day in San Antonio, Texas for the NENA national conference and a 9-1-1 call I had to make on a couple who was arguing and at one point the male half was hanging from a parking garage. Brianna and Rob tell stories of their own and share what is in store for Rob as the incoming President of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA.)

This episode was recorded live at the National NENA conference in San Antonio, Texas and is a must listen. As always if you have any questions, comments or you want to be a guest on the show please send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode 150 features Don, a dispatcher of Sonoma County SO and Lee Ann, Dispatch Manager with Marin County SO out of California. In this episode we follow the 9-1-1 stories of Don and Lee Ann from the beginning to present day. We talk about the calls that stick with a person and those that can make or break ones career. This episode was recorded live at the National NENA conference in San Antonio, Texas and is a must listen.

As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Ep 149 features Jen, a telecommunicator out of an agency in Illinois. In this episode Jen tells her 9-1-1 story, shares some calls and stressors of the job, along with some educational points for those calling 9-1-1 on a cell phone and how cell phones can still be used to dial 9-1-1 even when there is no service.

This is a must listen so please check it out and share. As always if you have any questions, comments or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode 148 features Adam Timm of The Healthy Dispatcher. This episode was recorded at the 2017 Michigan NENA conference in Lansing. In this episode Adam reflects on his dispatch career that spanned over 10 1/2 years in Los Angeles, California. He focuses on how stress from the job turned him into what his co-workers called him, "Angry Adam" and how going to classes to help deal with his stress helped him drop his angry persona and helped him realize his calling in helping his fellow dispatchers become less stressed and focus on their health and mental wellness.

This is a must listen! As always if you have any comments, questions or you want to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com. For more information on Adam Timm and The Healthy Dispatcher see the links below.

Today’s episode is a hard one. If you have followed the #IAM911 movement then you know that many of the stories told by the dispatchers who lived them are hard ones. There are some good ones but they are rare. Many 9-1-1 professionals have poured their hearts out for the movement and continue to do so. In doing this they have opened the eyes of millions to what they do every single time they answer a call. These professionals have also found a way to tell their stories, heal and find some sort of closure.

As my team and I continued to help share these important stories I had a thought, “Why not reach an even bigger audience by sharing them on the podcast?” This is now known as “Imagine Listening”, an extension of the podcast featuring the stories of the #IAM911 movement. When recording these episodes, I read each story so that more people can get a feel for the types of calls, emotions and stress the dispatcher deals with.

They have become quite popular and in this episode, I recorded it with a live audience. There were about 120 people in attendance and some dispatchers read their owns stories. Others wrote them down and my co-presenter Rob and I read them out loud. The room was packed and the emotions were high. We shared our stories and we healed. This is an important episode indeed.

Please listen and share with everyone you know including local leaders. Let them know why you should be recognized as a 9-1-1 professional. As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com

***WARNING – IF YOU SUFFER FROM PTSD OR HAVE SUICIDAL TENDENCIES THIS MAY BE A TRIGGER. YOU ARE LISTENING AT YOUR OWN RISK.***

Ep 145 features Sarah, Assistant Director at Kosciusko County out of Indiana and Curt, Sales Engineer with INdigital.

In this episode we go back in time a few years to when Curt, who lived down the street from the Kosciusko County 9-1-1 dispatch center fell out of a tree and his wife had to call 9-1-1. Sarah, was the call taker that day and in this one story, they both found out what the other was doing before and after the call. To bring them together and allow for closure was a great experience.

This is a must listen so please check it out and share it. As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show, please send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.